E-cigarette Use Surges Among Tunisian Youth

E-cigarette use is rising dramatically among young people in Tunisia, with no laws in place to protect this group from potential harms of these often unregulated products. Adolescents and students are driving the surge in demand, as shops selling e-cigarettes and related paraphernalia proliferate.

Many users cite fear of traditional cigarettes and the belief that e-cigarettes can help them quit smoking as reasons for their switch, despite limited knowledge of what these alternative cigarettes contain. While neighboring countries have begun regulating e-cigarette sales, Tunisian legislation, dating back to 1998, only controls traditional cigarettes.

Faisal Al-Samali, supervisor of Tunisia's national anti-smoking program, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the dangers of e-cigarettes are on par with those of traditional ones. A new draft law would classify e-cigarettes as smoking materials, bringing legislation in line with the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Tunisia ratified in 2010.

Al-Samali stressed that government-imported smoking materials are subject to health controls, unlike those traded in the unregulated parallel market. He warned that the use of e-cigarette refill liquids from unlicensed sources poses significant health risks, particularly given the ease of access for young people due to lower black market prices.

Despite efforts by the national anti-smoking program to raise awareness about the dangers of all types of tobacco and cigarettes, cessation centers remain focused on traditional smoking methods. Tunisia faces growing smoking rates following a relaxation in enforcement of laws banning smoking in public places, with a new law awaiting parliamentary approval to combat this scourge affecting about a quarter of the country's population.
 

Vaping legislation has long been discussed in Tunisia. A photo showing the Tunisian Minister of Health, Faouzi Mehdi , working, concentrated, in his office has been much talked about on the web in recent days. On the left of the Minister stood a vaping kit. The sale of vaping products is now prohibited in the country. 

Tunisian vape users then took hold of this photo with a hashtag on Twitter "#سيب_الفاب" (free the vape).